Hate crimes: By the numbers

March 13, 2012|By Leonor Vivanco, RedEye

The number of hate crimes reported in Chicago and nationwide spiked in 2001, the year of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. That year saw 215 reported in Chicago, with about half classified as bona fide by police. In the last five years, however, the number of bona fide hate crimes--which Chicago police determined to have been motivated by certain demographics of the victim, like race or religion--has, for the most, part declined.